Not much love from Russia to U.S.

The Republican Party platform has long characterized Russia as a geopolitical foe. During the campaign, the Republican nominee and some pundits alluded to the “hot mic” moment between President Barack Obama and Russia's then-President Dmitry Medvedev in which Mr. Obama remarked that he would have “more flexibility” after the election in negotiating the issue of missile defense. Critics seized on the remark to support the notion that the Obama administration is on a path of appeasement with regard to Russia.

Far from being lingering Cold War paranoia, concern over Russia's behavior has been rising during the 12 years the Kremlin has been controlled by Vladimir Putin and should not be viewed in partisan terms. This month the U.S. House of Representatives voted 365-43 to “name and shame” Russian human-rights violators in a broader bill that drops Cold War-era trade restrictions.

The legislation is named for Sergei Magnitsky, an attorney arrested after accusing Russian police and tax officials in 2009 of embezzling $230 million from the Russian treasury. He was beaten to death in his prison cell.

The White House initially pressed for the legislation without the human-rights sanctions. The Magnitsky Act is a step in the right direction in addressing the Russian regime's belligerence while recognizing U.S. economic interests.

“Since Vladimir Putin was re-elected president in May, his government has taken a harsh and confrontational approach to ongoing protests, cracking down on the Russian people's growing discontent with corruption and creeping authoritarianism,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

Three Russian opposition leaders were arrested in October “for disrupting public order” in downtown Moscow. One of them, Alexey Navalny, an anti-corruption blogger who famously called Putin's United Russia “a party of crooks and thieves,” is facing up to 10 years in jail. This month, Russia's contestant for Miss Earth, Natalia Pereverzeva, echoed Mr. Navalny's criticisms when she waxed poetic about Russia while slamming its leaders. “My Russia – it is a great artery from which the chosen few people are draining away its wealth.”

Mr. Putin crushes his political opponents, props up Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, and anti-Americanism is the norm in the Kremlin. Indeed, had the House shot down the trade bill, it may have aided Mr. Putin in fomenting anti-American sentiment.

“Anti-Americanism in Russia is rampant. Putin has relentlessly created an image of Russia under attack from Western enemies. It worked for the elections and is likely to continue as a pillar of Russia's domestic and foreign policy,” said Ariel Cohen, a senior research fellow with the conservative Heritage Foundation.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul has gotten a taste of this animosity. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, like Mr. Putin, is opposed to U.S. missile defense plans and has accused Mr. McFaul of “arrogance.”

It is worth noting that Russia's democratic opposition, which should be empowered, supports the Magnitsky Act. Similar legislation is up for consideration in Canada and some European nations.

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